The Spruce mine is one of the largest mountaintop removal mines ever
proposed in Central Appalachia, and would have resulted in the
destruction of 2,278 acres of temperate rainforest and the burying of
7.5 miles of streams in the Spruce Fork sub-watershed.

Were this mine site expansion to go ahead, it would have destroyed
beautiful and ecologically valuable Appalachian streams: Pigeonroost
Branch, Oldhouse Branch, and their tributeries. The EPA has resisted
enormous pressure from Arch Coal and the coal industry lobby in carrying
out its responsibility to put the protection of our environment and the
communities who depend on it ahead of corporate profits.

Our allies in West Virginia are celebrating the news today. Janet Keating from Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
said: “We are so pleased that this historic veto of the Spruce No. 1
Mine permit halts the destruction of Pigeon Roost Hollow…The science
completely validates what we have been saying for more than a decade:
These types of mining operations are destroying our streams and forests
and nearby residents’ health, and even driving entire communities to
extinction.”

Today’s decision by the EPA is consistent with the
conclusion we drew in our report, that the Spruce mine could not be
approved without violating federal laws and regulations. The impacts to
the environment and surrounding communities that would result from the
proposed mine were studied by EPA and independent researchers in great
detail, and all of the studies concluded that the proposed operation
would result in unacceptable adverse impacts. Our report shows that had
the EPA decided to approve the permit, their decision would have been in
violation of the law and the agency’s own responsibilities.

Since the EPA began its scrutiny of Spruce mine in September 2009,
RAN activists, friends and allies have kept up firm pressure on the
agency to issue a veto. You sent Lisa Jackson almost 17,000 emails and
made more than 500 direct phone calls urging her to veto Spruce Mine.
And, last September, RAN DC activists dumped 1,000 lbs of Appalachian dirt on the front steps of the EPA Headquarters, with the message “EPA: Don’t let King Coal dump on Appalachia,” resulting in two arrests.

We have been in many conversations with the EPA headquarters and
regional offices about stopping Spruce Mine, and with the banks that
provide financing to Arch Coal. Today’s announcement proves that
persistence pays and that citizen pressure can make a huge difference
for our communities and environment.